Finding Myself
by ZipporahCassandraPotter
Summary: Zipphora Cassandra is an 11 year old who lives at the Lancaster City Orphanage for the abondoned witch and wizard children. But she doesn't really know what's going on with her life. An entirely new adventure comes to mind when she gets the letter. The, h
1. Default Chapter

I'm being rocked gently…o so gently, I fell myself being lulled to sleep, the a voice in my ear gently whispers,   
  
" I'll sing you to sleep, my little one, I'll sing you the song my mother used to sing to me every night. Perhaps one day you'll sing it to your children."   
  
There is a leaf on the tree, and it's swaying   
  
And sae girl neath' the tree with tears in her eyes   
  
There's a wolf on the run and it's saying   
  
'Where have ye gone,  
  
O where have ye gone sweet love of mine? '   
  
O wind, cruel wind, brings an end, an end.  
  
To the storm that took me love before his time  
  
O wind, cruel wind, bring an end, and end   
  
I long for him, will ye bring me true love   
  
Back to me side?   
  
They're a puddle on the ground and it's growing   
  
And sae girl above the pond with tears in her eyes   
  
There's a fox on the run and it's saying   
  
Where have ye gone?  
  
O where have ye gone sweet love of mine?   
  
There's a woman on the run saying  
  
Where have ye gone?  
  
Oh where have ye gone sweet love of mine?  
  
I long for you here   
  
Sweet love of mine.   
  
Her voice is so magical …it's hypnotizing me … and just as I am on the very brink of sleep, I hear a huge bang.   
  
"Oh no! " my mother says.   
  
She jumps up with me clutched to her chest, and runs to my crib. Gently laying me down, she says:   
  
" I love you, little one, remember that. No matter what happens. I love you. "  
  
She kisses me tenderly on the cheek and turns toward the door. She walks across the room and out the door with out a backward glance shutting it firmly behind her. Leaving me alone and frightened in the dark.   
  
I hear lots of noise coming from downstairs, and it's scaring me even worse. Then something that sounds like a huge explosion. Then screaming, And the screams are so heart wrenching. They're the screams of my mother.  
  
What would make her scream like that, I wonder?   
  
Becoming even more frightened by the second. Then another bang and the screams are cut off abruptly.   
  
It's all-quiet, and suddenly, someone busts through my door.   
  
Mommy! I think   
  
She's ok and she's come to get me!   
  
The person is in the shadows, but I can feel the panic rising in me!   
  
No, this isn't my mommy, or my daddy!   
  
Although I could identify that this was a man. This man is evil, I can feel it. He begins to approach me … slowly,   
  
Oh! I wish he would leave me alone, I want my mommy!   
  
He stops at my crib, and slowly stretches his hand over me. Where's daddy? He'll make this evil person go away!   
  
I've started crying now and I'm terrified. It's finally hit me; I'll never see my parents ever again.   
  
What is this person going to do with me? I wonder.   
  
All the sudden there are this huge flash of light, and laughter, laughter that's filled with hate and triumph, it fills my head and soul and it breaks my heart. The very air seems to vibrate with it. Everything goes dark. .  
  
  
  
  
  
I jerk awake suddenly with my heart pounding and that laughter ringing in my ears. I have that dream so much, almost every night for as long as I can remember, and it makes no sense at all. Because, you see, I've been an orphan all my life, and I have no memories that would provoke that kind of nightmare. You'd think I'd get used to it after having it all my life, but It terrifies me every time!   
  
But what if, I wonder, these are subconscious memories and that really happened to me!   
  
This thought started my mind in a two-sided debate with itself   
  
My logical side: You git! When have you ever heard of anything like that happening to anyone?   
  
My other side: You never know! No one knows what happened to my parents!  
  
My logical side: and know one ever will! It's just your overactive imagination!   
  
My other side: But what if no one has said anything to protect me from the truth! And I do not have an over-active imagination…. At least, not to overactive.   
  
The logical side: Just face it, your parents might as well have not existed. Like I said no one knows what happened to him or her and know one will ever find out. Well, if my imagination isn't over reactive, then maybe I shouldn't have eaten that peanut butter Mayo sandwich right before bed! "  
  
Oh my gosh!" I said to myself aloud,  
  
" Zipporah Cassandra Brooks! Get a hold on yourself! Criminy! It was only a dream! "  
  
I FINALLY got my brain to shut-up for a few seconds! It tends to kind of.umm. Run away.very fast without me! Lots of people think this is very annoying. Also considering I have an average attention span of.ohh… about 2 seconds! I sigh and look at the clock. It read 7:00, about an hour before I had to get up.  
  
" O well, I'm not going to get back to sleep anyway, might as well get up and get ready! "  
  
I get up and walk across the room as quietly as I can , trying not to wake up everyone else in the room. I share this room with 3 other girls. I really don't like any of them. But then again , I never really associate with any of them . I've found the key to handle moving from orphanage to orphanage is just not to get attached to anyone emotionally , so I just keep to myself and don't make friends . It works best for me that way .  
  
I slip out the door and close it softly behind me , then bound down the steps to the bathroom making sure to skip the 6 and 3 steps .  
  
I go into the bathroom thinking "Good , it's empty !"  
  
I hate to share the bathroom with anybody since there are only two places at the sink and it is always a battle to get a spot . Especially with all the older girls who stand there and put on make-up for hours upon hours .  
  
As if the rest of us don't need the mirror! I think.   
  
Not to mention , I continue It's pretty hard to find a place without cracks all over it ! Actually , the whole bathroom is in terrible condition "  
  
I thought as I gazed around at the bathroom . The bathroom was just barely big enough to be considered slightly bigger than a broom closet . There was one wall with the cracked mirror and a sink whose faucets and pipes are being kept together with masking tape . Off to the corner , behind a dirty gray curtain is the "toilet" which is , in reality , just a big pot with. (And trust me from experience, trying to pee without a seat , it a feat that takes SKILL!) Then on the far wall is a tiny window that was letting in very meager amount of the gray , early morning light .   
  
"Yes siree'! This sure is the life ! " I said sarcastically.   
  
This is by far the worst orphanage I've had to endure yet .   
  
Why did it have to happen . Hilltop was the best place …I thought No , I won't hink about it ..it's just to painful .  
  
All I will say is that Hilltop was my previous orphanage , and that I was very happy there . But then it happened ..  
  
I picked up the brush and started brushing my very curly dark brown hair . I tried to stop them , but the memories began to wash over me . Overwhelm me .   
  
  
  
~ Flashback 1 ~   
  
  
  
This was the third orphanage this month , and I seriously doubt the last .As walked through the door , I immediately noticed that this was the nicest orphanage I had ever seen ! It resembled a large house , The foyer in which I now stood was a homey size with a staircase going up one side , a hallway beside it , and various closed doors form which I heard the sounds of children's laughter . There was wood flooring where I was standing , nad starting at the hallway the floor was covered with thick pale green carpet . The whole place was in colors of pale green blues yellow's and white. I loved Hilltop at once , and for the first time I felt like I was home   
  
As I was taking all this in a large motherly women came walking down the hall . She had black hair that was starting to gray at the temples . Her eyes were brown and kind , and she was wearing only a pair of faded jeans and a sweater .  
  
" O hello, poppet ! You must be Zipphora ! " She said as she walked toward me , immediately sweeping me up a big hug .   
  
" I'm so sorry that you've had to move around so much , but I promise you this'll be the last time. You'll will love it here ! " She gave ma a final reassuring squeeze and released me .   
  
" Oh ! How rude of me !" She said with a small smile on her face ,  
  
" I got so caught up in the moment , that I completely forget to introduce myself ! You may call me Mrs. Hildebranch !" . " It's very nice to meet you" . I said, shyly   
  
" Now what can I do with my umm…" I trailed off and gestured toward my bag . She looked down at it as if she had just noticed it   
  
" Oh yes , well… you can just take them on upstairs to your room. Yours is the second on the right ! "   
  
And that night as I was settling down in my new room for bed I was perfectly contented for the first time in my life . I mean , why shouldn't I be . This place was great ! For the first time I felt as if I could get to know people and I had already made some new friends. They fed me good , and I even had a room all to my-self . This was a first, a room all my own that seemed to be made just for me , with it's dark blue and green colors. There was a full lenth mirror with a dresser in one corner , then in another a big chair and a book case . My bed was huge and comfy , with lots of pillows , just the way I liked it . I even had my own bathroom and everything ! It was like…well…being home , and it felt so good . I turned off the light , snuggled into my pillows , and drifted into a peaceful sleep .   
  
~ End of Flashback 1 ~   
  
Wow , that place sure was different from this place , I can't even guarantee that they'll feed me every day ! And Mrs. Hildebranch ,she became like my mother . You see , Hilltop was the first wizard orphanage I went to . It all happened one night while I was laying in bed in a London muggle orphanage worse than this place . I thought I heard something outside , so I went to investigate . Well, to make a long story short , Hagrid, was out there. he told me that I was a witch and that he had come to take me to orphanage for wizards and witches , where I belonged .   
  
And all the sudden, I find myself , uprooted once again after about two and a half years at Hilltop . I made some really great friends there , especially Kyle . Just the thought of his name made the memories spring up even faster .   
  
NO ! I thought viciously   
  
I will NOT think about him !  
  
I started brushing even harder . But there's nothing you can do to stop memories , even painful ones , so they came anyway .   
  
  
  
~ Flashback 2 ~  
  
  
  
I was nine going on 10 years old, And I was running around the yard just having fun , when I tripped .  
  
" Whoa! " I cried as I went flying hitting my head on a root. It hurt bad. I just sat there stunned for the longest time ,blood started dripping down my face . That scared me to death , and I started crying .   
  
As I was sitting they're , this boy walks up , he only looks like he's about a year older than me, maybe .   
  
" What's wrong ? " He asks me sitting down and putting his arm around me . He looks concerned.   
  
" I h-hit my head , a-and now I'm bleed-d-ing to death !!! " I sobbed, by now I was crying so hard that I was hiccuping . I really didi think I was going to die !  
  
" C-can you hel-p me-e?" I asked him .   
  
He let go and stood up " Sure ! " He lent me his hand and pulled me up   
  
" Just lean on me . Try not to get blood all over me though ! " This got a small smile out of me . That's the way Kyle always was . No matter what was wrong , he could help ease the pain.  
  
"T-thank-k you." I sniffled .   
  
He just shrugged and we made our way to the building . Once we got there he took me to the bathroom " Sit down over there . " He instructed me , pointing to the toilet .   
  
" And blow your nose !"   
  
He turned around to get alcohal ,neosporin, and bandages out of the cabinet .  
  
He turned back around . " This won't hurt to bad ." He said  
  
" Just try to think of other things. Happy things . Then it doesn't hurt as much ! "   
  
I was sitting there cringing waiting for some more pain , but it never came   
  
" There ! All finished ! " he told me . I opened one eye and squinted up at him " Is that it ? "   
  
He smiled at me ." Yup ! " .  
  
Wow … he's kind of cute ! I thought .   
  
I was appaled at myself ! Zipporah Cassandra ! What are you talking about ! He'a a BOY !!!   
  
At this thought , I blushed furiously ,   
  
Thank goodness he was busy with his back turned , or that could have gotten a little messy! I thought !   
  
When he turned arouned , I was so afraid that my feelings showed on my face . Because he was kind of giving me a funny look   
  
To cover up the fact that I had been thinking this , I said  
  
" You know , boys have cooties ! "   
  
He kinda gave me this weird look and half smiled. All he said was : " I forgot to tell you , my name is Kyle Brandich . What'  
  
s your name? " "  
  
Zipporah Cassandra Brooks ." I said and smiled back .   
  
It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship .  
  
~ End of Flahback 2 ~  
  
I hadn't realized it , but tears had started rolling slowly down my cheek , and I was pratically ripping my hair out by the roots . "OW! " I exclaimed ,   
  
" Criminy , all this pain ,and it still looks like a rats nest !!!! "  
  
I threw my brush down and leaned over the sink . I was pratically sobbing now . I needed to get a hold on myself .  
  
Kyle is the reason I don't want to settle down here and can't …. I just can't …  
  
O my gosh ! I miss Kyle so much ! I thought as I sobbed Now I'll never see him again ! Never, never   
  
"Never…" I whispered .   
  
I drew a steadying breath and looked my reflection head on . Sad turquoise eyes in a aquiline face stared back at me .   
  
But I am 11 this year finally , and that means I get to go to Hogwarts !   
  
I finally smiled at that thought . and pushed Kyle out of my mind .   
  
" That reminds me .. it's probably here by now .."   
  
I ran out of the bathroom and up the steps , not bothering to skip the creaky ones this time . I burst into the room where my room mates were just waking up   
  
" Good morning ! " I said Not expecting an answer , and not getting one ( my room mates aren't really morning people !) . I ran to the window , just as my owl , Cranberries flew up .   
  
" Hey there darling , what have we got here ?" She stuck out her leg so I could untie the letter tied there .  
  
"Thank you , now go get some rest ." I told her , as I slipped her into her cage and shut the door .   
  
I looked at the letter . The front read :   
  
Minerva McGonagall   
  
Hogwarts School   
  
of Withcraft and Wizardry  
  
England   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Miss Zipporah Cassandra Brooks   
  
Lancaster County Orphanage  
  
For Witches and Wizards   
  
300 York ST , 00785  
  
Lancaster County , England   
  
My heart skipped a beat ! Here it was finally ! And I flipped it over and broke the seal, and had the greatest feeling that there were great things to come, to great for me to imagine now 


	2. The Journey Begins

Zipphora Chpt 2 

"O.k" I muttered to myself as I dug through my stuff .

"I have all my books…..my wand ….ugghh, and this hideous…..thing ." I said referring to what was supposed to be my dress robe.

It reminded me of, well , a piece of moldy cheese. It was this disgusting yellow orange-ish color and it had spots of mildew on it . It was ugly .

_But that's ok_ . I thought . _I'm not the only orphan there ,and I can't afford much better . _

I stuffed the thing out of site, just in time before  one my room mates , Jessica, walked in . Not that she's much better off than me , but I do have my pride ! 

She ran up to me and put her hands on my shoulders .

"Oh Zipphora ! Isn't this just like SO exciting !" She gushed " In like only a few more minutes , we'll like be on the train to Hogwarts ! There are like so many older guys there , I am just going to like die !" 

That girl gets on my nerves so bad , but I managed a very tight smile and replied .

" Yah. It's pretty exciting I guess "I turned back to my trunk and started to repack my books 

_._

_ This girls pretty dumb ,_ I thought _, But maybe she can take the hint and leave ! _ 

"Oh my gosh ! PRETTY exciting ? This is like MEGA exciting ! Think of all the older cute guys ? I'm sure they're MUCH better than the guys here ! " 

She paused thoughtfully "Except for Joe ! He is like the CUTEST guy on the planet ! But I guess you never know till you've like seen them all , huh? " 

"Whatever, Jessica " I said between clenched teeth 

_Is that all she thinks about ? Guys, guys guys ?! There is more to life than just cute guys . _I thought .

This was really starting to make me mad , and I started slamming things around __

_Crimminy ! She really is the most air -headed  git I have ever met in my life _ I  continued 

She was going on about how dreamy Joe's eyes are , and  then said something about being the nicest guy she's ever known . 

_HAH ! That's a load of bloody garbage ! _ I almost laughed out loud at that comment ,and slammed my trunk closed . __

_Joe Price , is the most egotistical  fool  that I have ever met . And I have half a mind to tell her that to, if she doesn't either shut-up or go away soon ! _ I seethed .

"Anyway , I like better get my trunk downstairs . We're leaving in about ten minutes . " 

Thank God , she was finally leaving ! " See you on the train ! " She called as she backed out the door with her trunk . 

I sighed , _good riddance !  _ I thought . I don't want you to think that I am a mean person , but I honestly cannot stand her .

 Or Joe either . He thinks that girls live just to worship at his feet . 

In fact , just last week there was this rumor that HE started that I liked him . 

Which , of course, was totally not true ! I liked him when I first came here a few months ago , but  that was only because he makes a good first impression .He's really not a nice guy at all .

" O well, how hard can it be to avoid him in a huge school like Hogwarts ? " 

I glanced at the clock . 

"Criminiy !I only have five minutes to get to the car ! " 

I made one more quick check of my stuff. 

"Ready to go Cranberries ?" I asked my owl . She opened one of her eyes at me sleeply at the sound of her name , but after finding that nothing was going on , closed them again and fell asleep

_Well, here we go. I won't be sorry to leave this place. That's  for sure  _ I thought as I gazed around at my room . 

"ZIPPORAH ! Get down here NOW if you don't want to miss your train ! " The evil witch of an orphanage owner (Mrs. S we all call her ) screamed up the steps .

"I'm coming ! " I yelled back .

_That is _I thought _If this trunk doesn't run over me from behind while I'm trying to drag it down these steps _

This thing was heavier than I thought 

So I started down the steps , my trunk thumping after me .

It started to gain speed on me and I couldn't control it 

"Great !"I said " I knew this was going to happen !" .

I was forced to let go of it and run , as fast as I could down the steps , with it bumping about a step behind me all the way.

By now , poor Cranberries , who was strapped to the top was skawking and flying about her cage . Of course ,who could blame her . You be skwaking and flapping around also if you were strapped to the top of an out of control trunk that was gaining speed by the second as it was thumping down a set of stairs. 

I made it out of the way just in the nick of time , stepping into a hallway directly off to the side . 

All I saw was the trunk go sliding by .

I stepped out of the hall and watched it slide into the " parlor" which was the room that Mrs. S received guests in , it was also the only room with a fireplace. 

My trunk didn't lose any speed as it continued to slide ,and It was headed straight for Mrs. S who had her back turned and was bent over picking something off of the floor .

I watched helplessly ( even though I doubt that if I could have ,I wouldn't have done anything to stop it ) as the trunk slid right into Mrs. S from behind .

It was really funny ! She somersaulted forwards with an indignant squeak and ended up sprawled on the floor in a heap . 

I fell to the ground I was laughing so hard! 

"ZIPPHORA CASSANDRA BROOKS !!" She screamed ( she seemed to only have two volume levels . yelling and screaming ) " THIS IS THE LAST TIME ! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU ! " 

She struggled up and turned towards me . Her eyes were bulging and much to my amusement , she had turned a very…lovely shade of mottled purple. 

Suddenly her voice turned dangerously low . __

_Wow _ I thought _A whole new volume level ! _ This thought sent me over the edge for some reason and I started laughing again . I gained control of myself in a few seconds . 

"If….you….ever….do…anything…like….that….to…me….again…..I….will…..kick…you….out…..on…you….sorry……bum…..and….leave…….you….to……starve….." She whispred .

I tried my hardest to look chastised , but when I saw the look on her face I just burst out laughing all over again.

"NOW GET OUT OF HERE !!! " She screamed (once more back to her usual self) 

She stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her so hard that a chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling .

I was still laughing so hard that tears were running down my cheeks.

"Whoo…. That was just what I needed to start my day … that had to have been the funniest thing I have ever seen ! " I said .

I glanced at the clock once again and realizing I was late , grabbed my trunks and ran outside to the waiting car.


	3. A Friend is made

Chpt 3 . 

I stuffed my trunk into the trunk of the car ,and walked around to get in .

As I sat down , guess who I noticed sitting there beside me ? 

Yup, you guessed it , Joe .

_Of all the people ! _ I thought _I got stuck with HIM to ride with ! I can not believe this ! _

_Mabye if I ignore him , he won't notice me . _

Yah. Right , and pigs'll fly ! 

"Well, well, well, " he said , sliding closer to me 

"If it isn't my biggest fan ! You planned this , didn't you Zipporah ? You wanted me all to yourself !" He said smugly ,I could hear the smile in his voice

I went to turn around so I could give him a piece of my mind . I was going to tell him that he could shove his egotistical head up his fat ,ugly butt so the rest of us wouldn't have to go through the pain of looking at it 

Just turning around was a big mistake.

" That's what I thought !" He smirked , fixing me with his deep brown eyes . 

All the sudden he moved back to his  side and leaned back , closing his eyes.

"Why don't you just admit it Zipphora !You like me ." He said 

This made me really mad and , I decided it was best if I didn't answer him 

He didn't say anything else for a long time , and when I finally got the courage to glance at him , he was fast asleep . 

I breathed a long sigh of relief and leaned my head against the cool glass . 

          We pulled into the station about an hour later . Thank heavens that Joe had not said another word to me .

 I really hate him .

I got out of the car and went around to get my trunks . I saw a lot of kids I knew from the orphanage standing about in inconspicuous groups . 

Actually , if you think about it , it's a miracle that not one of these muggles standing around have ever seen any of us disappearing into the wall. 

I guess it's just one of those things .

          I grabbed my stuff out of the trunk and  went over to the loose group .

To a innocent bystander , we all looked like complete strangers to one another , all just standing around waiting for our train . I watched as one by one they just kind of …melted through the wall. 

_Oh my gosh , how am I going to do this …… _I worried _ I'll probably be seen and everyone will be arrested or something! _

All to soon it was my turn . 

I stepped up , seeming to just merely be examining the bus map over my head ._Ok, you can do this Zipporah! _ I thought _Just act natural and walk through ! No ones going to believe it when they see it anyway . _

I looked around , amd made sure no one was looking . When the coast was clear , I I just casually leaned my back against  the wall and …well , fell through .

"Woah ! " I cried as I kept on falling on the other side , losing my balance . My trunk fell over and Cranberries came unhooked and fell to the ground , flapping around her cage like a mad bird for the second time that day (although I doubt that this was half as traumatic as her great stair adventure).As it hit the ground, my trunk fell open also , and all my stuff went tumbling out  onto the pavement . 

"Great " I muttered to myself "Now I'm going to be late ,and I'll never make it to Hogwarts !"

 My imagination started making up all sorts of worst case scenarios . 

_Now I'll end up back at the orphange , all by myself ! Mrs. S will make me do all the cleaning and cooking , while she sits in her  room with her feet propped up drinking tea and watching the telly, thinking of other ways to torture me ! _ I thought frantically 

_She'll make me sleep in the cupboard with all the spider and feed me off of stale bread crusts and dirty water ! _

"Uhh…excuse me ? " I was startled out of my thoughts by a strange voice .

I glanced up at this girl with long auburn hair and bight green eyes . 

"Yes ?" I asked squinting up at her "What do you want ?" 

"

Oh! I just noticed that you dropped all your stuff and that the train is leaving in a few minutes ." she explained "And I thought you would like some help !"

                                                      Ohh…thank goodness ! Now I won't have to go back to the orphanage !  I thought happily to myself 

" Yes ! I would ,thank you so much !" I said as she crouched down to help .

Between the two of us we had it cleaned up in no time and were boarding the train . 

The train was very impressive , it was much nicer than I expected , the seats were comfortable and everything was in deep scarlet red . The seats were velvet and the window panes were gilded . We got a car that was practically abandoned . 

"So "I said after we had gotten settled in "What's your name?" 

"She extended her hand and smiled "My name is Scarlet Moriah Ellmore !  How about you ?"

"Zipporah Cassandra Brookes . " I replied as I shook her hand . 

I looked at her , shy all the sudden"Umm. Thanks for helping me . you didn't have to ."

"Well , I wanted to ! It wouldn't have been very kind just to leave you there . It would be bad to miss the train ." she said 

"By the way ?" She asked" Can I call you Zip ?"

I liked this girl !

I grinned "Sure !If you really want to !" 

She grinned back "So , where are you from ?  I'm from Lancaster . "

I felt myself blushing and looked down at the velour seat. I started to pick at a loose thread. " Umm…I'm from London ."

Her eyes grew wide ." Really ! I've never been to London before . I always have wanted to though . Daddy tells me every summer that we'll go , but we never do !" She laughed 

" But I guess I can give him a break . He's really busy with work . He works for the Ministry ."

The train whistle blew three times and we were off . I had never been on a train before . It was quite exciting ! 

"So, what does your dad do ? " she asked me 

Wow I thought , this is going to be awkward…..

"Umm… I don't have a dad ." I glanced up at her. 

" I'm an orphan ." 

Now it was her turn to look down ." Oh..umm..well…I'm sorry …" The poor girl , her face was as red as the seat .

" It's ok, really , that happens a lot !" I lied , even though this was the first time that anyone had ever really asked me .

We sat in rather uncomfortable silence until the snack cart came around .

Scarlet was back to her old self again ! " Oh look Zip ! They have all kinds of candy ! I think I'm going to get Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Jelly Beans! What do you want ? " 

"Hmm… I leaned over to the tray , I was SO glad that we were comfortable with each other again . " I'll just have some of those to, I guess.."

"All right . " She handed me a pack 

"So " I said as I struggled  with my package of Jelly beans . " Tell me about your parents "

"Well….my dads name is Thaddeus Ellmore . He's always worried about me , and work , and well everything ." 

"EWWW!! I think I just got a vomit flavored one ! " She spit it out into her hand and tossed it out the window ,making a very funny face .

"Anyway." She continued " My mom's name is  Sarah . She's a  really nice woman . she doesn't work , but stays at home . You would like her ." 

Scarlet kind of glanced over at me sideways . I'm so sick of people feeling sorry for me ! I guess it's  a natural reaction if you've always had your parents around , but it still gets very annoying ! 

" They sound great !" I smiled at her and she seemed to relax a bit . 

"Yah they are. " she sighed , " But I definitely need the break from them for a while !" 

We both laughed , but inside I was wondering , why if you had such a great thing as parents that you would want to have a "break" from them . I guess it's just one of those things that you wouldn't understand if you didn't have parents . 

It was one thing I would never understand . 

After a while ,we just stopped talking and sat in comfortable silence .After a while , I found myself drifting of to sleep . ..

~*Dream*~

I'm laying in my bedroom back at Hilltop feeling content . I think I'll stay here foever…..all the sudden, my door bangs open and a blast of intense heat hits my face .

 I hadn't noticed it but smoke has been creeping under my door the past few minutes . The weird thing about it is though , that there are no flames or anything ,and it is perfectly silent. Theres just Kyle standing outside my door watching me with that expression that he always wears on his face . 

"Kyle ! Do you want to come in and play Gobstones with me ?" I ask him. He looks like he wants to come in , but he's not moving . 

" Fine !be that way ! " I tease him ,"I'll come out there to you !" I try to get up , but it's like I'm paralyzed , I can't move a muscle . Then he gets this look of utter sadness on his face and it breaks my heart. 

The, as fast as I can blink , there's fire ! Everywhere in the hallway , but it's like there is a invisible wall separating my room from the hall , because it hasn't crossed the threshold. Then, Kyle's clothes catch on fire and he starts to burn The look of sadness turns to a look of intense pain . 

Oh no ! I need to save him ! I'm thiking frantically . 

I try to get up , but I'm still paralyzed , and helpless. I even try to turn my head away from the site , but I can't move my head , can't close my eyes . The fire has consumed him , but not burned him.  I can barely make out his form through the flames. Suddenly, I am right there in front of him , all I can see is his face . Once again , the expression has been replaced from pain to one of complete calm . The only sound that I've heard so far is him whispering.

"Zipporah…." and then I can't see him anymore , and the flame begins to consume me and I am , yet again rooted to the spot . I feel no pain , though the flames surround me , but I can still hear his voice echoing in my head getting softer and softer : " Zipporah…Zipphorah….Zipphorah….Zipphora….." 

End Of Dream ~ 

"ZIPPHORA!" 

"Wha….!" I exclaim as I jerk awake . I'm covered in cold sweat , and I'm so afraid. 

"Zipporah , Are you o.k ? I was getting worried about you ! " Scarlet cried looking down at me with concerned eyes .

"Yah….I'm fine now I think ." I mumbled averting my eyes 

"Are you sure ? Do you want me to call someone for something to drink ?" She asked .

"No…no …I'm fine , it was only a nightmare !" I assured her , hoping that I sounded more convincing than I felt .

"Your positive ? Well….were almost there ,so just thought I'd wake you up ." She said gazing at me uncertainly .

"All right . Thanks ." I smiled at her and turned toward the window again .

Criminey ! Those bloody nightmares ! I can never get a moments rest from those . I thought as I watched the night scenery flash by . It really was very lovely . Lot's of woods  . 

          This one is one of the worst . I've had it almost every night since the accident at Hilltop . I really don't want to talk about it , but all I will say is that there was, like I said , unexplained accident and I was one of the only ones that survived . I guess it's guilt that gives me these nightmares, even though I try to tell myself that it wasn't my fault and blah..blah..blah,  I still feel guilty anyway 

          Suddenly her reflection popped up next to mine in the window and she exclaimed  "Look Zip !It's Hogwarts !" 

Now she was bouncing up and down in her seat excitedly . 

"Ohhhh… I can't wait !!!! " 

"Yah it is really exciting isn't it." I said .

I

t was pretty amazing , It was sitting across a huge lake on a hill . It looked like a castle

The train slowed to a stop . 

Scarlet started tugging on my arm "C'mon Zip , lets get our stuff   ! We don't' want to miss our carriage !! " 

I stood up , wow , it felt good to stretch my legs ! I had been sitting for about 4 hrs. 

Scarlet looked like she was about to die of impatience . 

"You can stretch on the way , hurry up !! " She complained . She sounded like a whiny two-year old . I think it's an only child thing .

"O.k. , ok I'm coming ! Criminy …" I stopped stretching and followed after her out of the comfortable car and we got off the train . 

 I started to lag behind her . Man , this girl could really power walk when she put her mind to it ! 

"Did you say we get to ride in carriages " I asked the back of her head  as we hurried through the night . It was beautiful , cool and clear with a million twinkling stars overhead . Not to mention , the air smelled way better than in London .

"Yup ! That's what I've heard" She replied , barely glancing over her shoulder.

I started running and finally caught up with her . "Heard from where ? I thought this was your first year here ? " 

"Oh , it is , but I've just heard . I got my sources . she said and winked at me 

We were approaching the carriages now and I saw that they were amazing . They  looked like something out of a gothic fairytale ! And , they seemed to be pulled by nothing .

I tried to stop her , I had just realized something " Umm…Scarlet , I think we should get our trunks .." 

"Oh not to worry . " She said to me as we boarded the carriage . "they take care of those . All we have to do is get on and let it take us to the school !" 

She leaned back and closed her eyes . I couldn't though ! I was to excited ! Not to mention , I didn't want to welcome back another nightmare . 

I wonder I thought as I watched the country side roll by How she knows about the carriages and all this stuff . Hmmm…. Mabye it's because her dad works at the Minisrty . I wonder what he does …… 

I sighed , I'm sure I'll find out in time …. But I still think it's weird ….

The carriage jolted to a stop finally and all my thoughts about Scarlet and her strange family vanished from my head . 

I leaned over and shook Scarlet awake .

"Wow " she said " I must have been more tired than I thought ! " 

She leaned over and looked out the window " I normally never fall asleep anywhere but in my bedroom . "

"Of course " she continued as we climbed out of the carriage and into the night 

"train rides do make you very……wow…" 

She stopped all the sudden . I had been looking at her the whole time ,and now I glanced up at the school .I just stopped dead in my tracks and stared . 

It was even more amazing up close . It was many stories high and it really did look like a castle , complete with turrets and everything . lights shone in all  the windows and from inside there could be heard sounds of laughter and talking . It was quite overwhelming . 

" C'mon Zipphora ! Stop gawking and lets go inside " Scarlet started pulling me in the direction of the door . 

"Besides , I'm starving ! Aren't you ?" 

"Mmm-hmm…" I nodded vaguely , I was still trying to take all of it in 

We went through the huge doors and into a gigantic room . It had a staircase going up the center . There were suits of armor in the corners and hanging on the walls were portraits of people . But the weird thing was , the people in the pictures were moving about from frame to frame . Some were even standing in groups talking to each other , drinking punch pr eating . It was weird at first , but it was  The first of the many new things that I experienced at Hogwarts . 

Author's note- Sorry it took me a while to update , but I'll try to get my next chapter downloaded soon . Anywayz, I know, I know….. I REALLY stink at my chapter names , but I try hard ! LOL So yah , if your reading this PLEASE REVIEW !!!!!!!!!!!!! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions ! Thanx ~ 


	4. What About My Brother !

CHPT 4

        As we walked through the huge set of doors that led to the Dining Hall and I saw how many other kids there were . Thousands of them , I felt a sudden connection to my fellow first years , who were all grouped around me looking just as nervous as I suddenly felt .

As we were directed to the table designated for first years I got a good look around .

Criminy !  I thought to myself  Look at it . It's so big !  

And it was , and very beautiful to . The walls were covered with windows and the ceiling above matched the night sky outside of  the windows . The room had a warm cozy glow from the thousands of floating candles that were hovering above every table .

I leaned over to Scarlet and whispered " Wow ! Isn't it the most wonderful  thing you've ever seen ? "

She turned and looked at me with excitement written all over her face

" Yes !!! It is SO  awesome ! " 

As we were talking an old man sitting at the head table stood . He was dressed in a robe of midnight blue with silver and gold stars and moons glinting on it in the candlelight . Much better than my old moldy cheese robe !  I thought savagely , wishing I could just be rid of that thing and burn it .

Anyway , the old man stood up ,and smiling across the dining Hall at every student he started talking .

The whole room went dead silent .

" Good evening everyone! His voice boomed,  " And welcome to Hogwarts First Years ! "

Everyone in the room started cheering . I could have swore I heard a few

All right Dumbie's scattered around in there  somewhere

Wow , they have a lot of respect for him !  I thought sarcastically .

He had long white hair and a long beard to match . His tiny gold spectacles glinted as he turned his head to look in the general direction that the All right Dumbie had come from . I could have swore he was trying mot to smile .

He cleared his throat ,and everyone went quiet again

        " My name is Albus Dumbledore ,and I am your headmaster. Now , I'm sure all of you are as hungry as I am , so , Minerva , if you would be so kind , as to bring forward the Sorting Hat ."

He glanced a tall , thin, austere looking teacher , who nodded and picked up this old shabby black hat that was pointed at the top.

As Dumbledore took his seat , the woman stood up and placed the hat on a stool that was standing at the front of the room .

She stepped back and the Sorting Hat began to do the thing that I least ecxpected it to do . It sang ! I don't remember the words , but it was the oddest thing….

As the last notes faded away , It began to call out names .

"Timothy Pillscreek! " It cried out and a rather shy looking boy stepped forward .

He climbed onto the stool, put the hat on and sat there. After about fifteen seconds The hat called out: 

"HufflePuff !"

Timothy climbed down and went to join his new table . I noticed he sat on the farthest seat he could away from everyone else .

Poor boy  I thought . He must be pretty shy !

It went on like this for about fifteen minutes .

"Criminy ! When is it going to be my turn !  I thought . I felt like I was about to fall asleep . Just as this thought left my mind , it was my turn .

"Zipphora Brookes !" I called

" I got up and walked to the front

I hope I don't trip , o please don't let me trip … or even worse , what if I'm in Slytherin ? That would be So bad !  I thought panicingly .

I finally made it to the front (without tripping !) And sat down , placing the Hat firmly on my head .

"Hello Zipphora .How are you this fine evening ?" The Hat said in my ear

"Ummm…. Ok I guess " I replied slowly " Err… and you ?"

        This is weird .  I thought I'm sitting here having a conversation with a hat ! Criminy , I feel dumb now…..

"Oh, I'm not just any hat. I was magically created by the founders of this great school . I remember sorting your parents in fact " It said a matter  of factly " They were very nice people you know . Such a tragic story , yes indeed……"

I felt like I had been hit over the head with a hammer .

"You knew my parents ? " 

"Yes I did . Now , lets see …. What house should you be in ?" Was all it said

" But..wha-t when did they…how-w" I stammered .

Oh my gosh , I think I'm going to pass out…  I thought

" What house do think you should be in child ? " It asked me . I had a feeling that either it was ignoring my question , or it wasn't as smart as I thought .

"Uhh.. I don't know , Gryfindor I guess, now answer me . " Told it . I had finally gained my senses  back and the shock was quickly beginning to be replaced with a growing curiosity . And impatience .

"Are you sure ? You seem like you could also fit into Slytherin maybe . "It said

"Answer m-"

"Then again you have the many characteristics of a Gryfindor.."

" Ans-"

It cut me off again .

" Yes , that makes sense . I put your brother in Gryfindor , but I did also think that he would do good in Slytherin .."

"MY WHA-"

"But he's been doing good in Gryfindor . Yes, I think Gryfindor will do nicely…"

"YES! BUT WHAT ABOUT MY BR-"

"Gryfindor it is then !"

The Hat called out my house and went perfectly silent  .I couldn't get it to say anything else , so I gave up and took it off .

I walked to my table , completely oblivious to anything . I was in such shock .

Wow…. My parents went here……I didn't know I had a brother …I wonder who he is …….I wonder who my parents were…..I wonder.. 

So many thoughts were rolling around in my head … I couldn't sort them out .

I sat down at my table and waited for the ceremony to end .


	5. Chapter 5

Zipphrah slowly made her way up to the Common Room with Scarlett chattering the whole way.  
  
"Wow...isn't this so exciting !!!! We made it to Gryfindor ! I just can't believe this! Tomorrow it will be our first day of classes too!! "  
  
They started up the steps "Yeah.. I guess it is...watch out for the trick step, Scarlett"  
  
Scarlet looked over at her curiously "What's wrong with you?? An hour ago you were even more excited about it than I was...why the sudden change?"  
  
She's right of course Zipphorah thought looking around at the school. They had started down a long stone hall that was lit up from both sides with torches. The ceilings were so high that they got lost in shadow.  
  
I wonder what's up there.. she suddenly got the vision of her waking up in the morning and looking up only to see that the ceiling went all the way up to the sky. Oh please. That's simply ridiculous...  
  
The truth was though that she wasn't to excited about it now because she was to distracted, and rightly so. After being an orphan her whole life...to find out that she had a brother was just.........kind of ...well mind boggling. It was great, but just hard to picture, and the truth was she needed a while to think it out.  
  
"Yeah I guess I am a little distracted."  
  
"What about?? You can tell me...maybe I can help you."  
  
They approached the portrait hole "Nah...you wouldn't be interested" Zipporah said sighing. Actually she probably would...and not to mention, even though I just met her I already feel like I could talk to her about anything.  
  
She spotted the portrait Wow!!! That's one fat lady!! She thought.  
  
Aloud she said "What is the password again ?? Lemon pop...lemon shop...lemon sop..."  
  
It still hadn't budged. Getting frustrated she turned to Scarlet who was standing there looking at her with a penetrating gaze in her eyes  
  
"Stop staring at me and help...I want to get in there and get unpacked ." she snapped suddenly angry.  
  
Scarlet rolled her eyes at her and then smiling said "Lemon DROP...and try me."  
  
The fat lady in the portrait scowled "It's about time you got it right ." she swung up muttering the whole time "Sheesh...kids these days, they think they're so smart and they can't even remember a simple password like that.."  
  
They ducked in and looked around. The ceilings were, Zipphorah imagined as high as the ones in the hall and she saw ( a little disappointedly) that they weren't as high as the sky after all. There were tapestries on the walls that bore a striking resemblance to the famous "Seduction of the Unicorn" tapestries, depicting a lady and a unicorn. There were huge overstuffed chairs and couches scattered around the room and a couple long desks in one corner. On the far wall there was a huge blazing fireplace that reached about a quarter of the way up the wall. There were couches set up around the fireplace and a few chairs that were set facing each other and there were tables set in between them that had games of Wizards Chess set between them. The main colors being reds and gold's, she thought that it was a rather cozy room.  
  
She walked over to two of the chairs that had a game already in progress between them and sat down.  
  
Maybe I should tell her...I know she'll be able to give me some good advice.  
  
Her mind began one of it's little battles with itself again No! Don't tell her ! She'll probably go and tell someone or say something mean like "your just a stupid orphan and you always will be"  
  
She will not ! Scarlet is a sweet girl and she might be able to help me find him  
  
"Well...I'm waiting.." Scarlett came and sat down across from her and sat down with her chin on her hands and was looking at her expectantly  
  
"Well...umm....here's the thing..."  
  
No! Don't do it !! Her evil –self yelled  
  
Cmon'...it'll be fine just tell her. It's not like it's a huge secret or anything Her nice self said  
  
O my gosh...just stop ...get your mind back to where it belongs Zipphorah Cassandra! She thought and started told Scarlett what happened .  
  
"Wow...that's awesome Phorah !! she exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. At that moment she knew she had made the right decision.  
  
"Yeah I know!! Will you help me find out who it is?? "  
  
Scarlett stood up and stretched "Sure! I mean, what are friends for anyhow?? " Wow...I have a friend...this is so grea !!  
  
"Cool, lets get some sleep then...we'll need to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow!"With that they headed toward the steps and went up to bed 


End file.
